Road accident fatalities drop, NTSA reports

A PSV bus christened Kisii Classic lost control and plunged into a truck parked alongside road on Sunday, September 10 2017.

Road fatalities in Kenya have reduced from 3,150 to 2,834 in the last six months of 2017 compared to same period last year, NTSA Board Chairman, Ndung’u Waweru, said attributing drop to improved road awareness campaigns.

The highest reduction was in June 2017 while the lowest was recorded in July 2016, with the weekends having the highest number of fatalities compared to weekdays.

Pedestrians are still the most vulnerable with majority of road crash victims comprising youths aged between 20-44 years of age.

Despite the reduction, 90 percent of traffic crashes are said to have been attributed to by human related factors such as speeding, reckless driving, dangerous overtaking, drink-driving, drink-walking, drink-riding, motorist using unfamiliar roads during weekends and failure to use of helmets.

The authority has promised to invest in modern facilities in its enforcement efforts like purchasing modern breathalyzer gadgets and night vision speed cameras.

NTSA is also in the process of rolling out the new smart driving licenses, which will have a biometric system that will facilitate capturing of driver details with the aim of profiling them. The data will help the Authority and any other interested institutions profile drivers based on their behavior and driving history.

Through its demerit point system, the agency hopes to improve road safety as rogue drivers will be punished, while careful ones will be rewarded.